Influence of separately collected waste on mixed municipal waste quantity

abstract

en

Waste management strategies must be planned in the long term for individual countries to meet the EU targets included in the Circular Economy Package. Meaningful and targeted waste management plans are usually based on current state evaluation and waste production forecasts. Recycling goals and restrictions on the landfilling of municipal solid waste are the crucial drivers. In developed countries, the long-term trend is increasing separation efficiency. However, other conditions like waste prevention or rising living standards influence total waste generation as well. The rate of waste transfers between mixed municipal waste and separately collected wastes should be quantified to reveal hidden links in the system. The known relation between waste streams will allow a more accurate estimate of future state and target new interventions to increase the separation efficiency. Standard statistical methods work only for certain waste fractions, so a more general approach needs to be developed. This paper approaches the reconstruction of waste transfers by optimization model and several logical steps. The transfer differs for various waste fractions and territorial units (e.g., municipalities), and it can change even in time (trend might be presumed). Czech waste production data are used to present the model. The result interprets what part of the newly separated waste comes from mixed municipal waste. At the state level, this value is the lowest of the monitored fractions for paper, 0.78. On the contrary, the highest part of the shift from mixed municipal waste is for textile, 0.93. The results for the Czech Republic showed a significant difference in this value at the regional level.

Waste management strategies must be planned in the long term for individual countries to meet the EU targets included in the Circular Economy Package. Meaningful and targeted waste management plans are usually based on current state evaluation and waste production forecasts. Recycling goals and restrictions on the landfilling of municipal solid waste are the crucial drivers. In developed countries, the long-term trend is increasing separation efficiency. However, other conditions like waste prevention or rising living standards influence total waste generation as well. The rate of waste transfers between mixed municipal waste and separately collected wastes should be quantified to reveal hidden links in the system. The known relation between waste streams will allow a more accurate estimate of future state and target new interventions to increase the separation efficiency. Standard statistical methods work only for certain waste fractions, so a more general approach needs to be developed. This paper approaches the reconstruction of waste transfers by optimization model and several logical steps. The transfer differs for various waste fractions and territorial units (e.g., municipalities), and it can change even in time (trend might be presumed). Czech waste production data are used to present the model. The result interprets what part of the newly separated waste comes from mixed municipal waste. At the state level, this value is the lowest of the monitored fractions for paper, 0.78. On the contrary, the highest part of the shift from mixed municipal waste is for textile, 0.93. The results for the Czech Republic showed a significant difference in this value at the regional level.

Waste production; mixed municipal waste; separated waste; waste flow; municipal solid waste recycling

17.10.2021

1847-7178